More than a third educators in the region have rated the education system in their respective countries as being outdated and restrictive, according to a survey conducted by Adobe Systems.
The findings came from the study State of Creativity in Education in Asia Pacific at the 8th annual Adobe Education Leadership Forum in Phuket, Thailand, on 20 March 2013.
More than 1,000 (1014) educators (teachers, administrators, head of institutions) representing 13 countries in Asia Pacific were surveyed for the study with an aim to gauge the state of creativity across the region's educational landscape.
Over 43 percent rated their respective education systems as being outdated or restrictive or both. On its efficiency at developing a new generation of innovators, respondents gave their education system a lacklustre 5.0 on a scale of 1-10.
On an average, surveyed educators spent 45 percent of their time fostering creative skills in their classroom in the last year, but ideally they wanted to spend at least 58 percent, indicating a gap.
When asked to rate how important infusing creativity in education to ensure the country's long-term success was on a scale of 1 - 10, the collective Asia Pacific rating stood at 8.4.
The surveyed educators also demanded more tools and training to promote creativity in the classroom (41 percent) and to make creativity integral to the curriculum (22 percent).
Thirty-five percent of respondents indicated that they were very prepared to adapt their teaching methodology to leverage digital tools. In a similar survey done last year, this figure was at 30 percent indicating slow progress in preparedness to adopt digital skills and tools.
"Creativity is no longer an elective for educators, students and the education organisations. It is a mandatory requirement for a successful future. The classroom is evolving from the traditional notions of learning, to a more creative platform of understanding," said Peter McAlpine, senior director - Education (APAC), Adobe.
"Educators and students are redefining how knowledge is acquired and shared. This state of creativity survey gives us insights into the mindsets of educators and the barriers they face while trying to foster creativity in their students," said McAlpine.